Brownsville, TN—A medical transport helicopter became involved in a deadly aviation accident on Thursday morning, March 25, 2010. The helicopter crash occurred during severe weather conditions at approximately 6 a.m., according to information provided by WREG.com.

Reports stated Medical Wing lost contact with the Eurocopter Astar (AS350B3) just before 6 a.m. during stormy weather. Hospital Wing, the non-profit air medical transport service, was able to locate the downed helicopter in Brownsville, Tennessee via GPS tracking system.

Upon responding to the scene, it was discovered that all three of the aircrafts’ occupants, including two pilots and a nurse, had unfortunately suffered fatal injuries. No patients were being transported for medical attention when the helicopter crashed.

A witness at the scene descried what he saw as “a lightning strike and then a ball of fire” when speaking with authorities from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department. The fatal helicopter wreck is apparently under investigation by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials.

Hospital Wing was founded in 1985 and reportedly works with the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Baptist Memorial Hospital, the MED, St. Francis Hospital and Crittenden Memorial Hospital. Program director and Chief Operating Officer Allen Burnett noted, “Nothing like this has ever happened in our history.”

According to the Helicopter Association International (HAI), there was a total of 162 civil helicopter crashes in 2006, which caused 43 deaths and 34 serious injuries.